All posts in category full moon

A very nurturing and grounded full Moon in Taurus tonight, just prior to the 11.11.11 portal date. Taurus is the energy that the light of the Moon luminates, the energy of comfort, sustenance, nature and nurture, good food and luxury. It is also forming sextile with Ceres in Pisces, associated also with nurturance, the cycles of nature, of motherhood, fertility, empowerment and loss. Ceres is the goddess of the of grain and agriculture, in myth she brought about a terrible famine which resulted in Winter on Earth due to her mourning the loss of her daughter to Hades who took her away to the Underworld, but Ceres also bought about a new crop and the coming of Spring when her daughter was returned to her for 9 months of the year.

This full Moon may highlight to us how we find ways to feel secure in our surroundings, whether at home, at work or wherever we find ourselves. With Moon in Taurus and Ceres in Pisces in striking opposition to Sun in Scorpio, are we really in touch with nature around us and can we sense our connection with the cycles of nature. In a busy working world, it’s so easy to ignore the little voice inside that asks us to rest, to eat, to take some time out just to be still and recharge, to go out and take a walk, to indulge in the simple things in life like enjoying the feel of the breeze or the warmth of the Sun on the skin. We may forget to play and enjoy the innocence of life like we did as children, to view our world in the present moment, letting go of the past and the future. Letting go of worries and fears and living in the present is also a process of nurturance as we draw our energies away from thoughts and fears that can harm us, instead, transforming them into healthier and even deliciously nurturing thoughts of being here and now.

Ceres is also about letting go as she had to strike a deal with Hades to let her daughter go to him for the 3 months of Winter to be his Queen of the Underworld. This letting go also helped her daughter to mature as she learned to live in the Underworld with Hades, being with the powerful unconscious and perhaps even letting go of the fear of death and change, ultimatly the cycles of nature. This Moon may show us where we need to let go in our lives, with love and gratitude. The vibration that we give and send to these areas where we may need to let go, is also the vibration we are sending to ourselves, and we deserve to give ourselves healthy and positive nurturance in this present moment.

The new Moon a few weeks ago involved a lot of transformational energies inviting us to get to know ourselves on a deeper and truer level. It was combined with the potent planetary energies of Pluto and Uranus. Full Moons bring out into the open and into full awareness, the fruits from the seeds planted at the new Moon. If a plan was just starting to formulate at the new Moon, then by full Moon it becomes clearer how, and if, to proceed with the plan. At this time, the energy of Sun and Moon polarise, making us aware of what we may need to balance out in our lives, clarity comes after a period of searching.

This full Moon is full of vibrant energy that seems to tap into the creative fire of imagination and inspiration, challenging us to give form and structure to our creative expressions; to go beyond the bounds of our personal conventional norms; becoming fully aware of our impulses and blending these with responsibilities and structures in our lives – Moon in Aries is closely conjunct Lilith and Eris while opposed Saturn.

Stirring up and bringing life to stale ventures, thinking outside of the box, finding the courage to face things we would normally shy away from may be ‘in the air’ now with the powerful full Moon energy. If we were feeling stuck in a rut, now may be a good time to find a solution or a breakthrough. It may become clear what we instinctively need to express, while, we find a way to balance these needs with the structures we have in our lives, thoughts and habits. We may find the courage to face the inner demons that hold us back.

Eris is named after the goddess of discord and strife, Discordia, and is also the sister of Mars/Ares. In Aries, she is associated with discord and war, as well as competition and possibly testing our integrity and our egos. Eris in Aries, along with Lilith, both have rebellious energy and they both like to stir up the party and challenge situations, maybe encouraging us to grow and extend ourselves beyond our perceived limits, or, to release what was previously repressed or held back. We could find renewed bravery to tackle those things we may normally shy away from. There are always positive and negative sides, which depend very much on how we are able to express them at the time.

The Sabian symbol of ‘The Magic Carpet of Oriental Imagery’ hints at a world of possibilities which could now be harnessed. The fire of Aries with the instinctual warrior goddess energies can be tapped into and used to help move us forward in our heart felt goals. An opposition with Saturn may suggest a need to confront the voice of authority, internal or projected outwards, seeing if this voice is ultimately helpful or harmful to us. Do we hold ourselves back unnecessarily, or does some hesitation actually benefit us.. Do we hold enough authority in our lives or constantly project it outwards.

This full Moon may even be a test for our egos. Eris and Lilith have been repressed and rejected in some way in the past. Eris, not invited to a wedding party, threw a apple over the fence of the party for “the fairest of them all”, sparking a beauty competition of the goddesses which ultimately set off the Trojan War. Egos involved all round! Lilith, on the other hand, would not conform to what was expected of her and in choosing to go her own way, she was rejected. Symbolically, much instinctual and sexual energy has been repressed over the centuries but now this is changing with the evolution of the current times.

Eris and Lilith could be helping to liberate repressed energies, unblocking a great deal of creativity and energy. These two combined are a pretty potent force, the kind of feeling where one has a wild idea and without a second thought one goes ahead and follows through, however, a certain inner, or outer, voice comes through here reminding us that we do have responsibilities for others as well as ourselves and our actions. Finding a balance between structure and the creative impulse, releasing the need to rush ahead as we balance impulse with responsibility with this lovely Aries Moon.

With full Moons, realisations are often made and with a Piscean full Moon the realisations may just start to flood into consciousness in a very Neptunian way – intuitive and ethereal, maybe sublime, very real nonetheless. The areas of life and area of the chart that was touched two weeks ago at the new Moon, the very early seeds that were planted then, will now start to come into full awareness. What was unconscious (Moon) now becomes conscious (Sun) and we need to find a way to integrate the two.

In some parts of Polynesia, the thirteenth day Moon, just before full, is known as ‘the egg’ – the Moon is almost at full bloom, ready to release all the creative potential that is carried up to this point in the lunar cycle, it is a very fertile time, full of ideas, notions, movements and actions. Messages may themselves known, we may see signs coming into our sights that confirm what we’ve been pondering on, people may say things that correlate with what we are feeling inside but needed confirmation of. If we had a plan formulating a few weeks ago, now is the time we start to see where and if it’s going.

This full Moon is known as a Harvest Moon, which is the first full Moon to occur before the Autumnal Equinox (this year falling on 23rd September 2011). Day and night become more or less equal at the time of equinox. The Harvest Moon greatly aids the harvesters, giving them more time to gather their harvest. This is due to the difference between sunset and moonrise at this time of year being much shorter, in a way, prolonging the light of day somewhat.

As the seasons start to change from summer to autumn at the equinoxs, I sense the perfect balance as day and night become equal, very tranquil for meditation or any spiritual pursiut. There is a ripeness in the air, the trees start to change colour as they reach full maturity, the mornings contain a fresh dew and a misty sun, shadows start to draw longer in the late afternoons. This lunation contains a Venus Mars sextile in each other’s terms, brings the masculine and feminine side of ourselves into harmony as we balance out the unconscious and conscious of the Moon/Sun. The Moon in Pisces is conjunct asteroid Ceres which is also opposing Venus, another balancing energy but this time balancing our needs to nurture ourselves, feeling what we instinctively need as opposed to our duties in relationships with others. We may be completely aware of other’s needs but do we pay attention to what is inside us also? An empty cup cannot quench another’s thirst – we have to replenish our own inner needs, nurture and care for ourselves before we can truly do this with another. With the quincunx to Saturn and Juno, we may need to make some adjustments to our duties and commitments with others. Pisces vs Virgo show us to balance out our intuition, inspiration with logic and facts. The two can combine beautifully and bring visions into reality, with the right balance.

The Moon also falls 3 degrees short of the midpoint of Uranus and Neptune. This concerns the archetypal, unconscious energy of the collective. Uranus and Neptune together, according to Liz Greene in The Outer Planets and Their Cycles’ says that these two planets in conjunction can bring “mystical or religious vision, coupled with a political ideology”. Karl Marx had Uranus and Neptune conjunct in his 10th house. This full Moon, also square the nodes, could bring into awareness a political vision, rooted in an unconscious spiritual ideal that is felt within society on a rather unconscious level, that will have an effect on society in some way.

The lunation, on a more individual level, the Uranus/Neptune midpoint may help shift old realisations into new ones. We are constantly evolving, changing, as do the seasons, this could be a time of spiritual shift highlighted by the light of unconscious (dark Moon) becoming conscious (full Moon). The Moon quincunx Saturn and the Pisces/Virgo energy of the Sun and Moon, there may need to be adjustments as we sort out fact from fanatasy, or, find the reality inside the visions and goals that come to mind as we bring these visions down to earth. What can realistically be achieved and what needs to remain as an idea/fantasty… The trine from Moon to Mars will spur us on to get real and get moving on our realisations at this time, helping to cut through to the structure and logical reality of what can actually be achieved. The trine from Ceres to Mars, all the while we intuitively focus on what is the best for our highest good, how our soul can be nurtured in the actions that we take, while releasing, mourning and letting go, with the waning of the Moon, of what is no good for us. Chiron is also involved, Moon being midpoint of Chiron and Uranus. This could bring sudden insight into the nature of our wounds, give us a creative reason to express our individuality, trust our insights through and beyond the safe ‘box’ that convention uses to quell intuitions, senses and feelings. It is ok to explore and trust the intuition, its the most natural thing in the world and helps to keep us safe. Trusting our intuition, what we have inside, our senses, is one of the best ways we can nurture ourselves. It is not to ignore the logical, rather, to balance the two aspects in our lives, creating inner and outer balance in ourselves and in the world.

In the transit chart of the eclipse, the full Moon is square to Jupiter/Uranus in Aries. The chart for the time of the eclipse in London has 15 degree Virgo rising, which could show a focus on health matters, ecology, as well as communications. The Moon in the 4th house (the home, roots, our base, family), Sun in the 10th (house of work, career, public life, also governments and people in authority). The square is thrown to Jupiter/Uranus which reside in the 7th house of relationships, conflict, business partnerships. Pluto is also conjunct the Moon, with Mercury conjuncting the Sun. That is quite a T-square going on with Jupiter/Uranus being a reaction point.

The ruler of the eclipse is Saturn, as the Moon is in Capricorn. At the time of the eclipse, Saturn is in Virgo, about to oppose Uranus for the final time, while in a loose square with the eclipse, could show that this is a good time to make any needed changes in our lives, to break away from the old and venture into the new. The square from Saturn may indicate a need to give proper structure to this change.

The eclipse/Moon is forming a transiting sextile to my natal 10th house Uranus, with the eclipse Moon falling in my 1st house, the Sun in my 7th. As the nodes are currently transiting my 1st /7th house axis, there has been a strong focus on relationships for me, with several opportunities presenting themselves, maybe for the purpose of discovering more about myself through interactions with others. Full Moons can bring realisations to light, as the whole of the Moon is lit up by the light from the Sun. Things that were brewing beneath the surface, things that may have been on our minds can have a chance for resolution during the full Moon. And a lunar eclipse is a super powered full Moon, with the changes made being longer lasting and more potent.

A few days prior to this eclipse, I suddenly became aware of something that was previously hidden, within a romantic relationship I was involved in, which was a catalyst to us breaking up. I can see a flavour of the eclipse Moon square to its 7th house Uranus/Jupiter here. The full Moon bringing things to full awareness, along with a square to Uranus (suddenness, disruption, break up, enlightenment), and Jupiter (expansion).

The lunar square to the Jupiter/Uranus in Aries duo brings of own will, aggression and winning to the mix. It also adds a lot of active energy and impetus to get things done, or resolved, or even changed. Whatever happens, it is likely to quite fast. For me, I discovered that I wasn’t receiving the nurturing (Cancer) that I needed, and I felt that my environment wasn’t reflecting the level of commitment that I felt I needed in my life, or perhaps I was not committed enough to my own goals (Capricorn). Moon in Capricorn in my first house gave me the impetus to pursue and nurture my unconventional career ambitions. The Moon also formed a kite formation, sextile natal Uranus and progressed Sun/Lilith. This in fact activated a natal progression involving progressed Sun trine natal Uranus. This has been increasing my interest and ambition to understand more about astrology, and yoga (being an unconventional career ambition to teach), and gives sudden flashes of insight. I decided to act in my own interests (Aries) change (Uranus) the situation, in order to nurture myself more. The issues involved had indeed been brewing for a while and ignored, but the full Moon presented the issues in such a way that they had to be attended to, and resolved.

Full Moon today at 20,14 degree Aquarius opposing three objects – Venus, Mercury retrograde and the asteroid Pandora. It looks like a rather interesting combination of energies being brought to our full focus. Full Moons bring things to our full attention – lighting up what was previously obscured. Through this, we are given options to decide what to do with the revelations that come to us.

From Leo, we have Mercury, Pandora, Sun and Venus all in contact with this lunation. Leo is about bold expression, making a statement and making themselves known, shining in their own creative and regal way. Leo is also about the individual ego expression. In Leo, Venus loves dramatic or warm hearted and bold shows of affection, glamour and show. Mercury in Leo likes to make a verbal statement and is very confident and creative in their expressions. Another side of this energy is thinking that their way is the best and only way, being a fixed sign. This lunation is highlighting how we express ourselves in a bold and creative way, with the Moon in Aquarius showing us the need to balance this expression with a certain detachment from the individual ego, maybe balancing our own needs with those of the society or the groups and people around us. Or, to be more unattached to the actual outcome.

Pandora is an interesting asteriod that represents the mythic Pandora who was given a box by the Gods and told not to open it. But her curiosity compelled her to open it, only to unleash all the ills, evils and curses onto humanity, including greed, lies, disease, hatred, jealousy. By the time Pandora managed to close the lid of the box, there was only one thing left inside – ‘hope’. In natal charts, Pandora can represent an insatiable curiosity where we seek to explore and discover, through and beyond all the more undesirable traits, the hidden gem of truth and reality. It can also represent the scapegoat of society where all the ills and negative traits are projected onto the Pandora person. An example can be the person who makes the newspapers through some bad behaviour such as an outburst of anger, with the public expressing their disgust for them and their behaviour, yet deep inside, we all probably contain, have felt or accepted some element of their behaviour.

It’s interesting that Pandora is conjunct the Mercury, which is also opposed to Neptune and with the full Moon highlighting all of those, it seems to be unravelling and revealing the ‘Pandora’s Box’ within society at this time. What is it in our external world that we see at this time that we deny exists within us to some degree? Do we project outward something we deny in ourselves? Do we place blame on others for their misgivings when really we need to look inside… When the very thing we hate in another person triggers such a strong emotion in us, there is a reason.. is there a resonance on some level inside of us? Are we really being real with ourselves, or portraying an image that is not true to who we really are…

The full Moon may be highlighting areas where we need to put our hidden things out and face them with full awareness and acceptance. Only through truly accepting ourselves and our Pandora’s boxes, can we live a geniune and wholehearted life, no need to hide or be something that we are not. The gem of hope, inner light, is found beyond all the less easy-to-swallow traits. Understanding of these can lead to such a wonderful gem of inner peace and acceptance.

Full Moon total lunar eclipse starting at 6.32am (GMT) and peaking at about 7.30am, at 29 degrees of Gemini at the south lunar node! In the UK and other areas of the world at the same northerly latitude, this eclipse falls across the horizon where both the Sun and the Moon are in the sky at the same time. Its called a horizontal eclipse. This also coincides with the winter Solstice, making this a very special time for looking back and learning from where we have come, assessing and re-assesing our plans for the future and seeing with full awareness any changes that we need to make in our plans.

Full Moons occur when the Sun lights up the maximum capacity of the Moon, which also lights up the usually dark nights on Earth as well as our unconscious. In astrology, full Moons highlight areas for us that were previously hidden. All kinds of things can come up during a full Moon, anything from discovering a secret, realising that a relationship is over, getting married, seeing that you need to change jobs or finding out about a promotion at work, realising that you need to move house, discovering what a health problem may be and finding a solution to it, finding a way out of debt, publishing a book. It all depends on where the Moon lands in your birth chart.

Lunar eclipses are super-powered full Moons in astrological effect. Where the focus of a normal full Moon lasts for that particular lunar month, the effects of a lunar eclipse last for about 6 months or until the next lunar eclipse and some say the effects last even longer. Whatever happens to be a focus in your life at this time, or what seems to be in the process of change is likely to have a lasting effect and be a major focus for the next half year. As full Moons also represent our emotions, the full Moon may also make this day and the next few days quite an emotional time as previously unconscious and hidden issues come into our full awareness. With this high-tide of emotional energy, it might be best to wait a few days before coming to any decisions, but then when the full power of the emotions take over it’s not always possible to tap into clear, rational thought. To see where the focus will be for you, look to the natal planets that the full Moon aspects in your chart.